He Knows My Name

 “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

John 10:3 (NIV)

     Remembering faces has always been easy for me - even faces that I haven’t seen for years. A student can move away her kindergarten year from the school where I work and not move back until high school and I will see her and remember her from years before.

     But remembering names is completely different. For some reason, I struggle terribly when it comes to meeting people and keeping their names stored in my brain. I’ve tried all the helpful tips I’ve been given, from saying the name the minute I am introduced to mentally rhyming it with something familiar or funny so it stays in my memory but nothing has worked.

     As a new member of the workforce, just out of high school, I learned an important lesson about remembering names. I worked at a savings association and we were taught to always remember names when assisting customers with their accounts. We dealt with hundreds of thousands of dollars daily and acknowledging a person’s name helped the customer to see that we truly cared about their decisions and about them. 

    One particular elderly man – a frequent customer – came in to make a huge deposit of several thousand dollars . . . and I went blank. I recognized his face instantly but, as hard as I tried, could not remember his name. “Think quick, think quick,” I told myself and then it came to me. As I filled out the deposit slip, I smiled at him and said “I am so sorry, but I cannot remember how to spell your last name.” He smiled back and said “Oh, that’s okay. S-m-i-t-h.” Mercy. 

   In John 10:3, we read about a watchman who was hired to guard a sheep pen. In those days a watchman usually had several flocks in one pen at night. The walls of the pen were made of stones with a gate that was the entrance. When a shepherd came to the pen to collect his sheep, the watchman opened the gate. As the shepherd called his sheep, they recognized his voice and followed him out of the pen. He knew their names and they knew the voice of the shepherd.

   I am certain that there were many sounds in competition for the shepherd’s voice. Other shepherds were also calling their own sheep. There were all the night sounds of wolves and other animals who were intent on pulling the sheep away from their shepherd so they could carry them off. But the sheep knew the sound of their shepherd’s voice and followed him.

   Can you see the parallel between those sounds competing for the sheep’s attention and the voices in the world today? False prophets disguise lies by touting power and wealth and happiness as the answer to all of life’s problems. “God wants you happy,” they try to shout over the voice of Truth, “so whatever makes you happy is okay!” And one sheep after another, who has neglected to stay close to the True Shepherd, follows lies that will ultimately result in eternal death. They no longer listen for the voice of the One who calls them by name and offers life and instead follow the voices that lead to eternal destruction. 

    How thankful I am that we worship a Father who not only knows our names but calls us BY name as His children. We are not a number on a list or a face in a crowd to the Lord. We are loved by the Creator who knows the name of each one of His creations. The gate is open. Are you listening for the voice of the Shepherd? He is calling you by name today.

     Thank you, Father, for calling me by name and keeping my focus on you. Thank you for being my Shepherd and keeping me in your care. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever met an acquaintance and could not remember his or her name? How did you feel?

• Have you ever met an acquaintance who could not remember your name? How do you think they must have felt?

 Apply

• Journal the Scriptures in Power and replace “him” or “you” with your name.

• How does it make you feel when you realize that God knows you personally by name as His child?

Power

• John 10:3 (NIV) “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

• Isaiah 43:1 (NIV) “But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

• Isaiah 49:16 (NIV) “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”